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Dear Arte Américas Supporter, 

After a rigorous, four-month national search, the Board of Directors is excited to announce that we have appointed Arianna Paz Chávez as the next executive director of Arte Américas!

​​Arianna was born and raised in Fresno and attributes her passion for art to formative years spent at Arte Américas. She is returning home with a decade of experience in nonprofit arts organizations including the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Dedalus Foundation in New York. Thus far, Arianna’s career has been devoted to creating meaningful experiences and entry points to the arts with and for diverse communities. Arianna is an alumna of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) advocacy and leadership programs. She earned a BA in Art History and Arts Management at the University of San Francisco and an MA in Art History from Syracuse University in Florence, Italy where she studied sixteenth-century Mexican art in Italian collections. Her expertise in the cultural arts and leadership skills will be a tremendous asset to Arte Américas.

The board is confident that Arianna is the right person to take care of our beloved Latino cultural arts center and lead us into our next stage of growth. Indeed, Arianna was shaped by our mission to celebrate, nurture, and preserve Latino arts and cultures during her mother, Lilia Chávez’ tenure as the founding Executive Director of Arte Américas. In Arianna’s own words, “Arte is important to many people and its success is the result of the hard work of our community. I am excited to honor and amplify that work and am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the community that raised me.”

The board would like to thank The James B. McClatchy Foundation for supporting Arte Américas through our executive director transition. With their support, we retained Cristy Johnston Limón, an organizational consultant who helped lead the executive director search process.  Our executive director search committee included members of our community: Elva Rodriguez, a former Arte Américas Executive Director, Marylou Mendoza-Miller, Associate Vice President for Human Resources at Fresno State, and board members Jose Rodriguez, Janie Rostro, and Vivian Velasco Paz. The board thanks the search committee and Cristy Johnston Limon for their time and commitment to this executive search process. 

Arianna joins Arte Américas at a very exciting time in our 36-year history.  While we were awarded $7 million dollars in the 2023 state budget, the funds have yet to be received, yet we have work to do, including preparing the facility to mount our next suite of gallery exhibits, programming and staffing while continuing to provide an anchor arts and cultural venue for the Fresno community and beyond. We are at a pivotal moment in Arte Américas history, and your donations can help Arianna advance her vision for our organization. Consider making a donation in honor of your favorite Arte Américas moment and let’s build our legacy together.

DONATE

Warmly,

Vivian Velasco Paz, Board Chair

Arte Américas Board of Directors